Undergraduate Policies and Regulations

Refer to the General and Undergraduate sections of the Academic Policies and Regulations section of this catalog for Undergraduate Policies and Regulations.

Academic Advising and Student Instructional Support Information

Academic Advising Mission

Academic advising engages students in the process of exploring and defining their academic and career goals and in creating effective strategies to achieve these goals.

• Through collaborative relationships with academic advisors, students are encouraged and supported as they develop the skills necessary to take responsibility for their own development and success.

• Academic advisors educate students by providing accessible, accurate and timely information regarding academic requirements, university resources, and opportunities to develop critical thinking skills and enrich the college experience and their personal lives.

Definition of Academic Advising

Academic advising is an integral part of a college education, establishing a collaborative relationship between a student and his or her advisor/s to map out a meaningful and successful educational experience and help guide the student’s path to graduation and a career. Academic advising centers and offices are listed below.

College Academic Advising Centers/Offices

Contact information for academic advising centers and offices for each college are listed below and on the website at www.gvsu.edu/advising/. Students interested in programs in a particular college can contact the advising center or office to learn more about specific programs or courses.

The SASC supports student learning by providing a wide range of services to students in one central location: general tutoring services, structured learning assistance course support, math and science tutoring, learning and study skills development services, academic advising for students who have not decided on a specific major or minor, and advising for student athletes through the LAKER Academic Success Center. Advising is also available for those students who are nondegree-seeking students taking courses at Grand Valley. SASC is the location for McNair Scholars and ESP federal grant TRiO programs to support student success.

The SASC is located in 200 Student Services Building and is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday. Appointments can be made by calling (616) 331-3588 or by coming into the office.

Tutoring encourages educational engagement, supports academic excellence, and enhances student success. Tutoring Center staff members coordinate peer-tutoring activities, which support successful academic outcomes. Tutoring is free to students and tutorials are generally conducted in small group settings. Mathematics and statistics tutoring are offered in an open lab environment. Students are encouraged to request tutors online at the tutoring website early in the semester to maximize academic outcomes.

Structured Learning Assistance (SLA) is an academic support program that is available to all interested students. SLA features weekly study and practice workshops in which students master course content to develop and apply specific learning strategies. The workshops are led by successful upper-level students who, in collaboration with the professor, develop workshop materials. The facilitators clarify lecture points for the students and assist them in understanding the expectations of the professor, while additionally focusing on improved study skills. These workshops meet from one to two hours per week throughout the entire semester and are optional once the student achieves a grade of C or higher in the course. The workshop times are formally attached to the student’s class schedule and are offered at no additional charge. To view a full listing of the courses that are offered with SLA support or for additional information, please go to the SLA website at www.gvsu.edu/sla, or contact the SLA coordinator at (616) 331-2673.

Science Success Center (SSC)
399 Padnos Hall, (616) 331-3695

The Science Success Center is an academic support and enrichment program that is located in 399 Padnos Hall. This program offers academic support for students in the field of science. Our student facilitators, successful upper-level students in biology, chemistry, biomedical sciences, and physics, assist students by providing problem-solving assistance, peer support, and connecting students to other appropriate support services on campus. In addition to these services, the SSC also provides learning style analysis, study skills development, current textbooks, and a faculty supported test bank, along with providing an area for both group and independent studying. The goal of SSC is to assist students in being successful in their current science courses as well as helping them transition to upper-level science courses. For additional information about the SSC program, please contact the program coordinator at (616) 331-3451 or go to the website at www.gvsu.edu/ssc/.

Learning and Study Skills Development Services offer one-on-one and group services to help students identify their learning styles and improve study skills, test-taking skills, time-management skills, note-taking skills, and memory strategies, along with other personalized instructional and learning strategies for students to successfully complete courses.

Premajor Advising
200 Student Services building, (616) 331-3588

Premajor advisors are available to advise students who have not yet declared a major. Advisors assist students with the process of choosing a major, monitor students’ academic progress, and discuss other academically related concerns with students. Once students declare their major, they are referred to their major department for advising.

LAKER Academic Success Center
152 Fieldhouse, (616) 331-3328

The LAKER Academic Success Center academic advisors provide one-on-one academic advising and support to student athletes. Students maintain a regular schedule of appointments to help with academic success and ensure athletic eligibility.

A collaborative transfer assistance project between Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) and Grand Valley State University, STEP reaches out to GRCC students to help them ultimately achieve a bachelor’s degree through Grand Valley.

Educational Support Program provides academic support services (academic advising, study skills instruction, and career planning) to first-generation, financially eligible college students at Grand Valley.

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Scholars Program provides research opportunities and academic advising to talented (3.0 grade point average or higher) juniors pursuing an education beyond a baccalaureate degree. The goal of the program is to provide assistance to financially eligible first-generation college students and underrepresented minorities who wish to obtain a doctoral degree.

Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors
The Writing Center offers free peer consulting services in writing for students enrolled in classes. The center provides weekly small group activities for Writing 098 students, assistance to Writing 150 students in computerized classrooms, occasional workshops as requested by faculty members, and a walk-in center available for students with papers in all Grand Valley classes, particularly Supplemental Writing Skills courses. Students who are writing papers for any course can stop by for a walk-in session to get detailed feedback on their work at any stage in the writing process. Writing Center services are provided at the Allendale Campus, Pew Grand Rapids Campus, and Meijer Campus in Holland. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/GVWritingCenter.

Disability Support Resources
Grand Valley is committed to providing access to programs and facilities for all students, faculty members, and staff members. Grand Valley promotes the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities as part of our commitment to creating a diverse, intercultural community. It is the policy of Grand Valley to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other applicable federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. Grand Valley will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The office is in 4015 James H. Zumberge Hall and can be reached by calling (616) 331-2490.

Academic Standards and Other Services

200 Student Services Building, (616) 331-3588

Course Evaluations and Substitutions

Responsible for course evaluations and substitutions for General Education Foundation/Culture requirements.

Credit Overload Appeals

Review appeals to enroll in more than 20 credits in a semester.

Residency Waiver Requests

Review appeals to take a course or courses at another institution during the final 30 semester hours of a student’s degree program.

Emergency Notification

It is the responsibility of the student to notify their professors of attendance issues. The SASC will email students’ professors in cases of extended illness, death, or family emergencies, etc. This process does not excuse students from classes, but serves as an official notification to professors. Students are responsible for making arrangements with professors about missed work.

Academic Review Committee

Review appeals of the withdrawal deadline and the Petition to Return process.

Undergraduate Academic Programs

Grand Valley State University has more than 200 areas of study, 81 undergraduate degrees, and 32 graduate degrees. Use the links below to find the program(s) that apply to you! Refer to the All Academic Programs A-H and All Academic Programs I-Z of the online catalog for a list of these programs.